Yes defenses "shifted" in the 80's. All teams had defensive scouting information for trends but offensive philosophy differed so everyone wasn't trying to jack HR's every swing so the extreme shifts weren't necessary based on the tendenciesCapella said:Something I’ve been wondering - obviously defensive positioning is huge now but did outfielders in say the 1980s do anything of the sort? Or did guys like Strawberry and Dwight Evans just stand in the same spot no matter who was up?
Once the HR became the end all be all and small ball and hitting for average went away dead pull tendencies starting happening more and more so the defenses adjusted.